My grandfather loved astronomy and made a point to instill that love in me. He even bought me my first telescope when I was about 11.

Sadly, he died last fall and will never get to see any of this. A real shame as I know he would have loved every minute of it.

Gramps, wherever you are, thank you. Your love of the final frontier is still alive and well in your grandson and he still experiences the same sense of awe and wonder when he looks to the stars as he did when you first taught him about the universe so many years ago.

It's something else. I've never been that into science but I've long been fascinated by space by and large because of its sheer magnitude along with my great aunt's involvement with NASA in the early years.

It's odd...the first thing I thought was that it does look kind of...normal. I've been places that looked like that, except they usually have at least a little more foliage. And often, telephone poles.

Sen. Scott Brown confronted his Senate-race opponent Friday in a voter-registration controversy, calling on rival Elizabeth Warren to reimburse the state of Massachusetts for a mailing that promises to bring more welfare recipients into the voting booth this fall.

Senator Brown charges that, by mailing voter registration forms to people on public assistance, the state is using taxpayer money for partisan purposes – with the aim of helping Ms. Warren win their close-fought race. The state recently agreed to mail the forms in response to a lawsuit backed by liberal groups, who say Massachusetts has done a poor job complying with a 1993 federal law requiring that people be able to register when they take actions like renewing a driver's license or signing up for welfare.

"It's been disturbing for a lot of people to learn that the state's welfare department undertook an unprecedented voter registration drive," said Brown, a Republican, in a statement released Friday. "It is clear that this was done to aid Elizabeth Warren's Senate campaign."

Citing Warren's $13 million campaign account, he said his Democratic opponent should "should immediately reimburse the state for the cost of this mailing and stop playing politics with the taxpayers' money."

In a Complaint filed today in federal district court in Boston, plaintiffs point to what they say is clear evidence that the Commonwealth and DTA are not complying with federal law:

The number of voter registration applications submitted through public assistance offices in 2009-2010 (just 2,007) is down 92.5% from 1999-2000.
DTA’s own internal reporting suggests that at least 94.2% of its clients in 2011 did not receive the required voter registration services.
Nearly three-quarters of DTA clients interviewed in preparation for today’s suit reported receiving no offer of voter registration opportunities in any manner.

“The NVRA makes voter registration DTA’s responsibility,” said Maude Heard of NEU4J. “But because they’re not doing their job, we need to spend scarce resources helping members of our community get on the voter rolls.”

“We’re tired of picking up the slack when the state fails our most vulnerable citizens,“ added Juan Cofield, president of the New England Area Conference of the NAACP. “So, after years of neglect we decided to sue.”

If the registration forms were sent from the state, then no. If they had her name on them, then yes.

Brown's convoluted logic as to how Warren's responsible (Warren's daughter is chairman of a firm representing a party in the lawsuit that got these forms sent out) seems to be getting repeated as a matter of fact by the wingnuts right now. Why? Because the evil specters of ACORN and Soros are attached (somehow) and that's proof that it's all a secret effort to stuff the ballot boxes on Election Day for Warren.

It doers look a little wierd. The lawsuit brought by a group affiliated with Warren's daughter, etc but notice that Brown isn't talking about legal action. He's just making election year noise. Stolen election conspiracy theories are all the rage these days.

It doers look a little wierd. The lawsuit brought by a group affiliated with Warren's daughter, etc but notice that Brown isn't talking about legal action. He's just making election year noise. Stolen election conspiracy theories are all the rage these days.

Understood. But if they were sent out with her name actually on the envelope or with a letter from her saying "I did this for you" then there is a problem. If the state did it, then Brown needs to STFU.

Understood. But if they were sent out with her name actually on the envelope or with a letter from her saying "I did this for you" then there is a problem. If the state did it, the Brown needs to STFU.

Best I can find, there was no name or letter on them, as they came from the state. Brown's trying to muddy the water by declaring that the letters were forced on the state by Warren's daughter's company, but that the state complied because its dominated by Democrats and they're trying to get Warren into the seat.

In short, it's Brown trying to shore up his support as well as drive up donations by whining that everybody in the state's against him retaining his seat.

It's odd...the first thing I thought was that it does look kind of...normal. I've been places that looked like that, except they usually have at least a little more foliage. And often, telephone poles.

I like to imagine that someday that environment will have plant life which has been adapted to it.

I'll be honest. It said the state failed to sign people up when they renew their DL or sign up for welfare then that is the issue that needs to be addressed after all this bullshit is over. The state failed, or didn't try hard enough, to enforce a federal law. Massachusetts needs to look to their state gubment to find out what the fucking problem is.

I'll be honest. It said the state failed to sign people up when they renew their DL or sign up for welfare then that is the issue that needs to be addressed after all this bullshit is over. The state failed, or didn't try hard enough, to enforce a federal law. Massachusetts needs to look to their state gubment to find out what the fucking problem is.

It doers look a little wierd. The lawsuit brought by a group affiliated with Warren's daughter, etc but notice that Brown isn't talking about legal action. He's just making election year noise. Stolen election conspiracy theories are all the rage these days.

Right. It's a conspiracy theory. Perhaps using the phrase "stolen election" would categorize it under a 101st Chairborne Bush-era conspiracy theory but the reality is that the Republicans are tampering with election law for their benefit. If you don't want to believe that go right ahead. So far there are two court hearing involving these laws. One will be decided soon in Pennsylvania and another is forthcoming with the Obama administration in Ohio.

If you thought Pennsylvania was the only site of courtrooom drama this election season, you've another thing coming.

From Ohio to Colorado, legal fights over who can vote and the circurmstances under which their ballots are counted are landing in state and federal courtrooms, the Washington Post reports this morning.

Edward B. Foley, the director of the election law center at the Ohio State University law school tells the Post that political operatives are becoming increasingly savvy at election law challenges, often using off-year elections as the training ground for fights in presidential years.

"Each party has enough built-up knowledge and has lawyers that it can go to again and again,” Foley tells the Post. “There’s a kind of sophistication to it.”

Closing arguments wrapped up last week in Pennsylvania's Voter ID case. Opponents, represented by the state branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, are seeking an injunction to keep the law from taking effect during this November's general election, citing concerns that hundreds of thousands of people could be disenfranchised.''

Major depression or chronic stress can cause the loss of brain volume, a condition that contributes to both emotional and cognitive impairment. Now a team of researchers led by Yale scientists has discovered one reason why this occurs — a single genetic switch that triggers loss of brain connections in humans and depression in animal models.

It doers look a little wierd. The lawsuit brought by a group affiliated with Warren's daughter, etc but notice that Brown isn't talking about legal action. He's just making election year noise. Stolen election conspiracy theories are all the rage these days.

I won't go into detail, but Brown got arrogant and complacent after his upset victory in the special election to fill Ted Kennedy's seat. That's not an unusual attitude for a US Senator, but it's reckless in a state in where one's party is overwhelmingly outnumbered.

Now the chickens are coming home to roost and Brown is flailing for issues.

It's not that he is greatly unpopular, but the demographics are against him and the state's majority party is determined to recover the seat. Despite everything he might be reelected but IMHO his chances are less than even.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court refused to take up appeals to the state’s new voter ID law Monday, but an advocate against the law remained hopeful that they would take up the case in the future.

The law, which requires residents to show photo ID in order to vote, was blocked last month by two separate state appeals courts in Dane County. The two judges requested that the state’s highest court take up the appeals from the League of Women Voters and the NAACP, with a trial behind held Monday in one of those cases over the law’s constitutionality.

Despite the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision, League of Women Voters Executive Director Andrea Kaminski expressed her organization’s content with a lower court ruling the law unconstitutional.

“As far as we’re concerned, we had a victory at the lowest court level,” Kaminski told The Raw Story. “We’ve been happy to leave it at that. It’s the state, which is defending this law, that keeps trying to push up the law. So far, only one court has ruled the law as unconstitutional. We’re happy with that.”

Gotta love that, Romney's been whining about Obama twisting his own actions and here he and his tool of a running mate actually twisting Obama's words. Rules for Obama but not for Mitt and Paul.

Times I honestly wish Obama would go to a rally of working folks and tell them "My opponent says your boss made his millions without any input from you, that all you 40+ hours a week of manual labor has nothing to do with the success of the company. That if he fired every one of you tomorrow, he'd still make millions."

Times I honestly wish Obama would go to a rally of working folks and tell them "My opponent says your boss made his millions without any input from you, that all you 40+ hours a week of manual labor has nothing to do with the success of the company. That if he fired every one of you tomorrow, he'd still make millions."

If he did that, Mitt would act like it was the worst mudsling ever even though Mitt's doing pretty much the same thing here. Sooner or later, the lies are going to catch up with Mitt. I can't wait for him to try the you didn't build this at a debate and for Obama to call him out on it. The guy needs to be shown to the American people for the lying fraudster he is.

Speaking of welfare, I saw the Obama's campaign's response to the Romney welfare lying bullshit. Good ad. Has leading media outlets like the NYT and WaPo and President Clinton saying that Mitt's not telling the truth about it. Mitt can play this game all he wants with his base but other people aren't going to buy it.

Aren't a big chunk of welfare recipients children and disabled anyhow? That's why I hate Reagan's infamous welfare queen slur. The vast majority of people getting welfare aren't some greedy people trying to get your hard earned tax dollars. They're trying to get some needed help. Of course, Mitt has no problem with rich people welfare like the kind he got for sitting on his ass his last years at Bain.

If he did that, Mitt would act like it was the worst mudsling ever even though Mitt's doing pretty much the same thing here. Sooner or later, the lies are going to catch up with Mitt. I can't wait for him to try the you didn't build this at a debate and for Obama to call him out on it. The guy needs to be shown to the American people for the lying fraudster he is.

Romney: "President Obama tells folks that if you're successful, if you're rich, then you didn't build that, didn't earn that, the government gave it to you."

Obama: "Governor Romney, during your time at Bain, how many investments did you save through government support, government welfare? How many pensions did you use as collateral to stuff investor pockets, leaving the government to pick up the tab?"

Romney: "President Obama tells folks that if you're successful, if you're rich, then you didn't build that, didn't earn that, the government gave it to you."

Obama: "Governor Romney, during your time at Bain, how many investments did you save through government support, government welfare? How many pensions did you use as collateral to stuff investor pockets, leaving the government to pick up the tab?"

Romney: "Uhm...uh...lies!"

I would like Obama or someone to ask Mitt about all the federal money he got for the Olympics. I mean it's fine that he did obviously but the guy has a lot of nerve whining about big government when he in the past got federal money for a business venture, not only that, he bragged about getting every penny for the Olympics.

I'm sure Mr. Romney's primary opponents know a thing about gutter politics, Mitt, and it's that you play it with the best of them. What is it, Mitt? Are you really so deluded to think that you're so special to think that you're allowed to mudsling but your opponents aren't allowed to? Really I think this guy thinks the presidency and the perks that come with it are a birthright to him. This isn't a monarchy, you tool, where we constantly praise his majesty Mitt, and don't criticize him.

Sen. John McCain said on Sunday that Mitt Romney's selection of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate reminded him of his own game-changing choice in 2008. Choosing Ryan was "a pretty bold choice," McCain said, just like his pick of Sarah Palin.

"I am still proud of my running mate," McCain, R-Az., said on Fox News Sunday. "I am proud of Sarah and her family."

Aren't a big chunk of welfare recipients children and disabled anyhow? That's why I hate Reagan's infamous welfare queen slur. The vast majority of people getting welfare aren't some greedy people trying to get your hard earned tax dollars. They're trying to get some needed help. Of course, Mitt has no problem with rich people welfare like the kind he got for sitting on his ass his last years at Bain.

the old damning with faint praise. I think McCain deep down knows Palin was a mistake but he doesn't want to admit it. Maybe it's stubbornness, maybe he's still afraid of the far right within the party, or something else but I think he is in denial about Palin.

You know that McCain can't be saying that of his own free will, his record since 2008 notwithstanding. I get the feeling he's just holding his nose while taking his required bite of the shit sandwich that is the 2012 GOP presidential noms, while damning Palin with faint praise.

the old damning with faint praise. I think McCain deep down knows Palin was a mistake but he doesn't want to admit it. Maybe it's stubbornness, maybe he's still afraid of the far right within the party, or something else but I think he is in denial about Palin.

I'm not accusing Ryan of anything, but how do he know he wasn't a transvestite stripper who had an act where he dressed like a nun while he attended college? I'm brave enough to ask. What is he so scared of?
/

I'm not accusing Ryan of anything, but how do he know he wasn't a transvestite stripper who had an act where he dressed like a nun while he attended college? I'm brave enough to ask. What is he so scared of?
/

Who knows with McCain. Sometimes I think the guy shows he's one of the more statesmanly leaders in his own party. Othertimes, he comes across as way too hungry for war and overly partisan. I think the 2000 primary campaign really disillusioned him.

By the way, is there any possiblity that one of the Republicans they're getting at the DNC is Dick Lugar? From what I know, he and Obama get along quite well personally, and from what I understand Lugar was quite upset about the tone in his primary campaign. But Lugar while a reasonable guy wasn't really a GOP centrist.

Who knows with McCain. Sometimes I think the guy shows he's one of the more statesmanly leaders in his own party. Othertimes, he comes across as way too hungry for war and overly partisan. I think the 2000 primary campaign really disillusioned him.

there's a secret laboratory where they take old fashioned intelligent republicans and brainwash them

It's odd...the first thing I thought was that it does look kind of...normal. I've been places that looked like that, except they usually have at least a little more foliage. And often, telephone poles.

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From Sen. Schumer's Facebook page: There are two simple reasons the comparison does not hold water. First, the federal RFRA was written narrowly to protect individuals' religious freedom from government interference unless the government or state had a compelling interest. ...

UPDATE MARCH 30: NEW TIME FOR LIVE STREAM - 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PDT NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project will be flying a rocket-powered, saucer-shaped test vehicle into near-space from the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on ...

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China attacks the biggest code repository in the world. After battling a distributed denial of service attack for four days, GitHub on Monday was able to restore normal service levels. The primary target of the assault is greatfire.org, which is ...

An American woman--presumably not Muslim, though she doesn't say one way or the other--married to a Libyan man is taken aback when her 9-year-old daughter suddenly wants to start wearing hijab. This is the story of how conflicted she felt ...

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Spence Jackson, the chief spokesman for the late Missouri auditor Tom Schweich, died over the weekend from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. Jefferson City police said Monday they responded to a call Sunday evening at Jackson's apartment. They found ...

On Friday, Motherboard reve​aled that fully functioning Uber accounts were for sale on the dark web. Today, it appears that some people have fallen victim to fraudulent trips being made with their login credentials. "It happened this morning," Phil ...

Are conservatives anti-science? Spoiler: Conservatives aren't anti-science or pro-science. But, they are pro-common-sense. And once more scientists adopt common sense approach to science, they'll find that they have the support of conservative politicians - the people whose job it is ...

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Here is an interesting article on one of Tail Gunner Joe's sick witch hunts that has, unfortunately, been forgotten. I try not to feel schadenfreude of the fate of McCarthy's side kick, Ray Cohn, but I never succeed.

About the Graphic How should a woman try to get ahead in a male-dominated workplace? Perhaps the answer lies less on women "manning up" and more in how businesses value their employees. Many women confront this tension as they ...

If we accept the idea of Orthopraxy over Orthodoxy, then what does evangelism look like? What is the Witness of those who try to follow the Way of Christ Jesus? To evangelize is to spread the good news that we ...

A short column in The Nation that is a must read. The primary difference between liberalism and conservatism, at least in theory, is that the latter is an ideology and the former isn't. Conservatism, as Milton Friedman argued, posits that ...

This is a powerful admission of culpability and I applaud his courage in making it. It really should be read in its entirety. Glenn Ford should be completely compensated to every extent possible because of the flaws of a system ...

Sarah Vine of the DM gets it wrong: SARAH VINE: Teaching 11-year-olds about rape is a form of child abuse The problem with this country, I've come to realise, is that it treats adults like children and children like adults. ...